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Friday, September 10. 2010
It is astonishing how many Democrats in the past three months have been making the worst case scenario for their prospects in the November mid-term Congressional elections. Do they believe that the most craven Republican Party in history needs their help in such a self-fulfilling prophecy?
The arguments that the Democratic pundits, along with some elected lawmakers, are giving focus on the slowing of the recessionary economy and the “natural giveback” to the Republicans of the hitherto safe seats that they lost to the Democrats in 2008.
Continue reading "Democrats' Corporate Cocoon"
Wednesday, September 8. 2010
September 7, 2010
Members of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator,
We are writing to urge you and your colleagues on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to convene a public hearing to review the government's deployment of whole-body scanners at passenger security checkpoints in US airports.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have disregarded serious questions concerning the devices' effectiveness, privacy safeguards and potential health impacts and have continued to purchase and install scanners at US airports. According to The New York Times, the TSA expects to install scanners at 2200 security checkpoints in 450 airports within two years. The tide of upset by the traveling public will only increase as their experience and knowledge about these machines increases.
Continue reading "Letter to Members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs"
Friday, September 3. 2010
What does Labor Day mean anymore other than another day off, another store sale and, in some cities, parades ever smaller and more devoid of passion for elevating the well-being of working people?
Philosopher/mechanic Matthew B. Crawford, in his recent, embracing book, Shop Craft as Soulcraft has a thoughtful consideration. He deflates the high-prestige workplace and makes the case for millions of Americans who still make and fix things with their hands.
Continue reading "Honoring Those Who Toil"
Friday, August 27. 2010
Katsuko Nomura—a builder of consumer, labor, cooperative and women’s rights groups for over 55 years in Japan—passed away this month at the age of 99. She was one of the most remarkable civic leaders anywhere in the world. With her range of activities, she could be called a world citizen.
Continue reading "Katsuko Nomura: Consumer Champion"
Friday, August 20. 2010
Bell, California, a working-class town of some 38,000 ten miles outside of Los Angeles, is a unique place. Its local government has proven to be citizen-proof, media proof, city-council proof and even leak-proof from inside its self-enriching top officialdom.
Continue reading "For Whom The Bell Tolls"
Thursday, August 19. 2010
Don't miss Ralph's latest op-ed on the rise of anticorporatist views. The op-ed was published in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, and can be found online here.
Friday, August 13. 2010
The Obama Administration’s treatment of its current majority ownership of bailed out General Motors and its standoffishness toward the pioneering but troubled ShoreBank, a community bank based in Chicago, are lessons in how the Big/Bad fare in Washington, D.C., as compared with the Good/Small.
Continue reading "Of Big Banks and ShoreBank"
Friday, August 6. 2010
You can’t make up the following realities in New York State! Note the following series of events driven by the preposterous plutocrats and see if you get steamed.
Greed, power, reckless speculation and theft of other peoples’ money by Wall Streeters collapsed the U.S. economy into a deep recession that started in 2007-08.
These super-rich Wall Street banksters looted and drained trillions of worker pensions and mutual fund savings while nationwide eight million jobs were lost.
Continue reading "New York's Rebatable Bailout"
Monday, August 2. 2010
Dear Mr. President:
The spill of nearly one million gallons of oil from Enbridge Energy Partners’ pipeline into Talmadge Creek in Michigan on July 26 further demonstrates the necessity for you and Secretary LaHood to pay immediate attention to the hapless, industry-indentured Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS), which has been, like the Minerals Management Service, in a long fraternal relationship with its industry.
Continue reading "Letter to President Obama Regarding the Talmadge Creek Oil Spill"
Friday, July 30. 2010
The war in Afghanistan is nearly nine years old—the longest in American history. After the U.S. quickly toppled the Taliban regime in October 2001, the Taliban, by all accounts, came back stronger and harsher enough to control now at least 30 percent of the country. During this time, U.S. casualties, armaments and expenditures are at record levels.
Continue reading "Out of Afghanistan"
Friday, July 23. 2010
by Ralph Nader
Last month, Big Business interests shamelessly dealt our already depleted democracy a devastating blow by misleading California voters into approving Proposition 14, without their opponents being able to reach the people with rebuttals. This voter initiative provides that the November elections in that state for members of Congress and state elective offices are reserved only for the top two vote-garnering candidates in the June primary.
Continue reading "California Enshrines the Duopoly"
Tuesday, July 20. 2010
Dear President Obama:
It is time for you to give taxpayers, consumers, and investors a reason to believe that you are truly interested in consumer protection by nominating Professor Elizabeth Warren to be the Director of the much-anticipated Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Continue reading "Letter to President Obama on Professor Elizabeth Warren"
Friday, July 16. 2010
An article in the current issue of the AARP Bulletin is likely to get a “What’s this?” reaction from many of its millions of readers. It is titled “Iranian Cure for the Delta’s Blues,” with the eye-opening subtitles: “Mississippi Looks to Iran’s health care system”” “That model has improved health dramatically”; “Will it travel well to Baptist Town?”
Continue reading "Learning from Iran"
Tuesday, July 13. 2010
Dear Chairman Bernanke:
On July 17, 2008, David Rogers, the respected Congressional reporter for Politico wrote an article titled “Pelosi-Paulson tension Rises,” in which he had the following paragraph:
“Earlier in the day, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke assured lawmakers that Fannie and Freddie, the two government-supported enterprises, are ‘adequately capitalized’ and ‘in no danger of failing.’”
Continue reading "Letter to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke on Fannie and Freddie"
Tuesday, July 13. 2010
Dear Mr. Selig:
Now that you have had over a month to absorb and digest the reactions to what a sports writer called the worst umpire call since the 1850s, it is time for you to respect the vast majority of the fans, players and coaches who either believe that umpire Jim Joyce’s call should be reversed as false or who have no objection to such a ruling.
Continue reading "Letter to Bud Selig On "The Worst Umpire Call Since the 1850s""
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